Censored Social Media Comments
Dear Clark Township,
This is a request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Records requested:
It has been verified that certain Facebook users, who are residents of Clark Township, have had comments censored/blocked from the "Clark Township Police Department" Facebook page and the "Clark Township" Facebook page. The ACLU-NJ and New Jersey State League of Municipalities have published material stating that official social media pages of government entities are considered public forums and therefore there are restrictions as to what can be deleted or blocked.
Please provide the "public post" settings from both Facebook accounts. Please provide a list of all Facebook users blocked from commenting on each account.
Yours faithfully,
James M
Your request has been received and will be processed in accordance with the Open Public Records Act.
Edith L. Merkel, RMC
Township Clerk
Township of Clark
430 Westfield Ave.
Clark, NJ 07066
(732) 388-3669
WARNING: Email received by or sent to Township officials is subject to the Open Public Records Act [OPRA]. This means that absent some specific privilege, all such communications are considered a public record and are subject to publication and/or dissemination to the public upon request.
-----Original Message-----
From: James M <[OPRA #36015 email]>
Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2022 9:12 PM
To: Clerk's Dept. <[Clark Township request email]>
Subject: OPRA request - Censored Social Media Comments
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear Clark Township,
This is a request for public records made under OPRA and the common law right of access. I am not required to fill out an official form. Please acknowledge receipt of this message.
Records requested:
It has been verified that certain Facebook users, who are residents of Clark Township, have had comments censored/blocked from the "Clark Township Police Department" Facebook page and the "Clark Township" Facebook page. The ACLU-NJ and New Jersey State League of Municipalities have published material stating that official social media pages of government entities are considered public forums and therefore there are restrictions as to what can be deleted or blocked.
Please provide the "public post" settings from both Facebook accounts. Please provide a list of all Facebook users blocked from commenting on each account.
Yours faithfully,
James M
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Dear James M,
Please see the attached response to your OPRA request in connection with
the above referenced matter.
Very truly yours,
Miriam Stone
Paralegal
La Corte, Bundy, Varady & Kinsella
989 Bonnel Court
Union, NJ 07083
Tel: (908) 810-0500
Fax: (908) 810-0513
[1][email address]
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